Using bananas instead of oil makes this fat-free banana bread extremely moist and lightly sweet, and the blueberries add a fruity surprise to every bite.
Q: What’s black and yellow and soft all over?
A: The bananas on our kitchen counter when we got home from the beach on Sunday.
Of course, when we left on Thursday, the bananas were firm and yellow, even a little green. I’d meant to take them with me, but in the rush of packing I forgot. By the time we got home, our bananas were so overripe that I could actually smell them as we entered the door.
But you know the old saying: When life gives you mushy bananas, make banana bread! Well, I may have just made that “old saying” up.
Nevertheless, it’s true that the riper the bananas, the better the banana bread, so finding several overripe bananas on my kitchen counter was not a hardship at all but an opportunity to make a treat for the family. And since it’s blueberry season here, I saw it as a double opportunity and filled my banana bread with some of the plumpest, sweetest blueberries I’ve ever tasted.
The result was incredible: The bananas make the bread extremely moist and lightly sweet, and the blueberries add a fruity surprise to every other bite. If you like bananas and blueberries, I think you’ll love them together.
Before I hit you with the recipe, I want to let you know that the Tried & Tasted roundup has been posted over at Holy Cow. I mentioned before that people would be making recipes from this blog and then sharing them on their own blogs. Well, I’m just overwhelmed at the response: I counted 39 different entries, some of them of recipes I’d forgotten I made. It’s going to take me a while to go through them all, but I will! Please visit some of them yourself–and tell them I sent you.
Blueberry-Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large over-ripe bananas
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup vanilla soymilk or apple sauce (80 ml)
- 1/2 cup agave nectar (120 ml) see notes below
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour (240 g)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup blueberries (240 ml)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or wipe a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil or use a silicon loaf pan.
- Mix the soymilk with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and let stand until it curdles. (If using apple sauce, skip this step and add the lemon juice to the bananas.)
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the remaining lemon juice, soymilk, and agave nectar. Stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir just until the mixture is well-combined. Fold in the blueberries.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into 12 slices and serving.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Anonymous
I made this last night with maple syrup in place of the agave nectar and some walnuts, but without the blueberries because I just didn’t have any. I love the bread, it’s perfect and I don’t miss the oil at all! Baked perfectly and didn’t come out too dense like most of my vegan attempts at banana bread. Thanks so much for the recipe, this is surely a keeper!!!
8:29 AM, June 10, 2009
Mitri
I made this recipe just yesterday because I had some bananas in need of lovin’, and I’ve got to say: THIS RECIPE ROCKS!!!
I followed it using the applesauce, replacing blueberries with strawberries (because that’s what I had on hand), and changing the 1/2 c. agave to 1/4 c. maple syrup. Since I reduced the sugary liquid that way, I had to add just a drizzle of almond milk to make the batter moist enough. I also made 12 muffins instead of 12 slices. (350* for 20 min)
The bread is beautiful; the fruits look like jewels. Everyone go try this!! Even my carnivorous family & boyfriend loved it! (Can you tell I’m excited?)
7:47 AM, June 11, 2009
Erica C
I just tried this recipe with the following changes. I used cherries instead of blueberries and I didn’t have any agave nectar. So instead, I used 1/3 hazelnut milk AND 1/2 cup apple sauce. Oh, and also, I used rice flour to make it gluten-free. It was fantastic!! Both the bananas and cherries were very ripe so it didn’t need any additional sweetener. I made 6 jumbo muffins so the baking time was reduced…about 40-45 minutes. Thanks so much for the amazing recipe! My husband will be in for a big surprise when he gets home!
Anonymous
Hi,
I ran out of whole wheat flour and used oats. Also, sugar instead of agave and increased the soymilk to 1/2cup. The bread came out really chewy, could this be due to the oats?
Thanks,
AZ
moonwatcher
Hi Susan,
I made a successful gluten free version of this using a rather elaborate mix of the flours and starches I had on hand (millet, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice, tapioca, potatoe and arrowroot starch, a little xanthum gum) (plus I looked at two other gluten free recipes for ideas and comparisons–two of Karina’s and one from a blog called gluten free gobsmacked). I also used a combination of agave, pear sauce and brown sugar (the sugar gives structure to gluten free recipes). For the blueberries I substituted our Idaho huckleberries, which are similar to blueberries. It turned out really great. My son is here visiting and he confirms it is delicious. Oh, I used vanilla soy yogurt, and I added a little more vanilla and lessened the lemon juice by half I think. Anyway, thanks for the template. I am happy I came up with a fat free gluten free version that works with huckleberries!
xo
moonwatcher
Anonymous
Yum! Yum! Yum! I just made this bread, and it great! Some banana breads are dry and tasteless. Not this one. I can hardly believe there are no eggs or oil. I doubled the recipe and did half sugar and half agave nectar (adjusting the soy milk accordingly). Definitely will make again!
decaf
so sad! mine turned out to be complete liquid in the middle, to the point that it ran out when i sliced it. i baked it for an extra 20 minutes, which just resulted in a burnt outside with a runny middle. i’m usually a pretty successful vegan baker, so i’m not sure what happened. i was so looking forward to that delicious bread! it looks so good!
5:48 PM, June 17, 2009
Anke
I made this today and it turned out absolutely perfect and yummy.
Didn’t have any blueberries on hand so I used red currants which are in high season here. Their tartness added a nice zing and a refreshing contrast to the bread. I also only used two heaping Tsp sugar (instead of agave sirup) to suit the much less sweet German taste. It was perfect – moist, slightly sweet, tart berries, yummy 🙂
jenny
I made it today and I have to say this recipe was right on time because I had exactly three over-ripe bananas and I couldn’t waste much time on cooking because I have a lot of studing to do for a test,so otherwise I would probably throw them away!But this recipe was so easy and I had almost all the ingredients at home!I made the sugar version and I added cherries instead of blueberries(blueberries are not such a common fruit here).I also had plain white flour but I dicoverd a package of oat bran I had used to make a breakfast cereal recipe a while ago,so I used 1 2/3 cups flour and 1/3 cup bran to add some fibre.
The result was delicious,if I may say so myself!I could never believe thet something so healthy and fat free could be so delicious!And the natural sugars of the bananas make it so sweet that I think I’ll cut down on sugar next time!I’m not very experienced in cooking,even less in vegan cooking(vegan for 8 months) so I think it’ll be even better next time I do it-because I plan to do it again…and again!
I discovered your blog a few weeks ago and this is the first recipe I’m trying but I can honestly say that everytime I check it,every new recipe,makes me happier for the fact that I’m vegan!The nutritional value chart towards the end of the recipes is something I appreciated from the beginning.I plan to try more recipes during the summer!
Eli
I completely love this recipe and it is now my default breakfast food! Since I didn’t have any blueberries on hand when I made it, I tried using fresh cherries one time and fresh mango the next time and absolutely loved both! I also added some slivered almonds to add some crunch! Soooooooo good…I’m totally hooked!
Aimee
I made this last night but in two smaller loaf pans…thus 50 minutes was perfect! My coworkers were raving that they couldnt tell the difference. So moist and perfectly delicious! Thanks again susan!
sarahk
Thanks for another great recipe, Susan. I used wholemeal spelt flour(because that’s what I had) and subbed demerara sugar because I’d run out of agave, but it still turned out really well.
The only problem was the colour. I had to use frozen blueberries because it’s winter here in Australia and they turned the batter purple. Unfortunately, once cooked, it went sort of grey, so not the most attractive thing I’ve ever baked. It still tasted delicious though, and it just means I’m saving it all for myself! I can’t wait until I can try it with fresh blueberries.
talula_fairie
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! I love that it’s totally healthy and low fat but you really can’t even tell. It just tastes like delicious banana bread! I doubled the recipe and I only had 3/4 cup of agave, so I added 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar. I used half milk and half applesauce for the wet ingredient.
I also curdled my milk with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar because (and this never happens, but never say never I guess) I ran out of lemon juice. My bread is delicious, moist, and held together really well unlike some vegan breads that get crumbly. I’m amazed at how moist it is with no added oil! Plus, bananas in blueberry bred? That’s just brilliant!
And since people are asking you camera questions, I have one. How do you get your entire frame (or most of the frame) in focus when you’re using a wider aperture? I am thinking it’s becuase you do such long shutter speeds and use a tripod? Maybe I should get a tripod. Do you crop out parts of your photos, or do you use a macro lens a lot?
I have a 50mm lens and I usually hand hold…if you look on my food blog you can see that my DOF is always kinda narrow and sometimes the front of the frame is out of focus, which bugs me. I especially have this problem with bowls, I can never get my camera to focus where I want it too. I think I’m too used to people photography. I want to get better at still life though.
SusanV
I’m so glad you liked the bread, t_f!
To answer you camera questions, yes I do use a tripod, pretty much always. I also use a remote shutter release so that I don’t shake the camera when I’m taking the photo. I try to focus on what I think is the most important element and then take some shots with other parts in focus because sometimes what I think is the most important turns out not to make the best shot. I keep my camera set on aperture-priority, so I pick the aperture and the camera figures the correct shutter speed, and I try to take lots of shots at different apertures. I don’t do a lot of cropping (that photo at the top of this post is an exception–I liked the isolation of one blueberry, so I cropped out the rest of the bread and berries).
I’m looking at your blog now, and your photos are really lovely. The cheesecake photo seems to have the entire side of the slice as well as the mint in focus–did you use a smaller aperture for that? I see what you mean about the front being out of focus in the bean salad and guacamole recipes, but that can be a good effect (I really like it on the guacamole shot).
I think that some lenses have a smaller depth of field than others, and that could be what’s happening with yours. (I’ve always felt that way about mine, too, so I was surprised at the question!) I do tend to focus on something in the front so that I don’t have so many shots with out-of-focus bowls. Also, I find that I use very few photos taken at maximum aperture and tend to like the ones at about 4.0 Though I just bought a 100mm macro lens, I’ve only used it for the samosas photos and will probably stick with 50mm for most food shots. I have a Tamron 17-50mm that lets me get pretty close to the food.
I hope this helps a little. Let me know if you have any more questions. I always like to talk photography!
Anonymous
Thank you for this! I think this is the tastiest thing I have ever baked.
Ola
So I made this today, and it was absolutely delish! I added dried cranberries and tangy lemonade instead of the agave nectar/lemon juice, and i added some extra blueberries. it was so good! thanks for the inspiration
Anonymous
Susan,
I made the blueberry-banana bread today (I had all the ingredients, even the 3 over ripe bananas). The bread is very tasty. Plan to freeze some of it for later. Thanks for the recipe.
Doris 🙂
Anonymous
Thanks for the great recipe! Just as good as the non-vegan recipe I used to make (and much healthier!). The loaf was finished in a flash! I used almond milk (curdled just fine) and turbinado sugar instead of the agave nectar (added extra liquid as you'd suggested) and it came out great. Thanks again!
-Sharon
Sara
This was great – very light and healthy-feeling. I didn't have blueberries on hand, but I had a serious overflow of peaches from my CSA, so I used chopped up peaches instead. It was a little wet in the middle (I assume from the extra wetness of the peaches, I probably should have added a little extra flour), but still delicious!
the inadvertent farmer
I made vegan banana bread the other day but it was with oil…can't wait to try this version. New to this site, looks great, thanks, Kim
Amy Hamilton
I've made this twice now. It's simple and delicious.
afranks
I made this using just ripe bananas and it still turned out very moist and delicious – just make sure to mash them pretty well! Love this recipe!
Stephanie
This is a fantastic recipe – I made it with apple sauce and frozen blueberries, and everyone thinks it is better than original!
Anonymous
I love your blog and have made many of your recipes, but have never posted before. This time though, I just had to tell you how good this banana bread is. It is AMAZING! Thanks so much for all of your recipes. They have made becoming a vegan easy! – KC
amby
I made this last night it came out perfect. Soooo moist. I used almond milk,applesauce,vegan sugar, and added some walnuts. My husband ate 3 huge slices for breakfast this morning:)Will be a must have in the kitchen for now on. Thanks sooo much!! I love your recipes. Im making the Calamondin pie using grapfruit and oranges today- I already have the crust made and waiting. You are a cooking Goddess!!!!
KamalKitchen
Hi Susan,
I have seen and admired this recipe before. But I have another immediate problem. DO you have any thoughts on whether this can be tried in a microwave?
I am also looking for a basic eggless bread recipe for the microwave. Once i find something that works, I can probably try with various ingredients – sweet or savoury.
Thanks..
kamalkitchen@gmail.com
SusanV
I haven't ever cooked it in the microwave, but since there are microwave banana bread recipes, I think it could be done. I'd probably start with 5 minutes at high power and then check it every few minutes. And if your microwave doesn't have a turntable, then turn it after 5 minutes.
Baby P's (assistant) Mommy (LAMommies.com)
This looks soooo good!! I can't wait to try it. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Azahara
I made this today and it was lovely!
It's amazing how something so simple would turn out to be so delish. I now feel tempted to try it with other berries, esp. raspberries.
Thanks a lot!
Anonymous
I've made this bread before and I loved it. Can I use frozen blueberries and if so would I need to thaw them first?
Anonymous
Susan, can I use frozen blueberries, and if so, do I need to thaw them first?
SusanV
You can use frozen berries. Just measure while they're still frozen and then let them thaw on the counter before you use them.
Sophy
I was wondering, what could i use as a substitute for the agave nectar as ive never seen/heard of it, and therefore dont think its available where im from.
SusanV
Sophy, just use sugar or any liquid sweetener (such as rice syrup).
Alison
Hi Susan, I love your blog. I have been a vegetarian since forever (im 17 now) and only recently I have thought about going more vegan and cutting out dairy and eggs ect. I love baking so much and I have found your recipes very helpful. I just made these last night and YUM!!! I put them in a muffin pan instead to make them muffins and had three of them this morning. =]
Anonymous
On your ingredients it says 2 cups of flour but in the brackets it just says 240g which is only 1 cup. I am a bit confused.
SusanV
By weight, 1 cup of whole wheat flour is 120 grams, so 2 cups would be 240.
Anonymous
Hi Susan
Can I add a tablespoon of white vinegar instead of 2 tbsp of Lime Juice since as of now vinegar is already there in my pantry and I need to save money in every possible way!!!
Thanks
SusanV
I'm not sure that vinegar will prevent the browning of the bananas like lemon juice will, but I think you can substitute one for the other. I would use the full 2 tablespoons, though (the acid helps in the rising, and vinegar is less acidic than lemon juice).
Lori
Why does every vegan banana bread I make always get done on the top but soggy at the bottom? Wondering if my oven since I always made vegan baked goods since moving into this house. I have cooked it longer but then the top gets too hard so I either eat half of the bread of take top off and cook bottom again!
jill
Susan,
I just discovered you last week. Love your paella and mexican casserole! I would love to try your banana blueberry bread but my son is allergic to corn and gluten. Any ideas on if I could alter this recipe?
Thanks,
Jill